Frost Dates for 42404 — Clay, Kentucky

Half of springs at Providence, KY see their last 32°F night by April 7; only one in ten is past it by March 23, and one in ten still has one after April 24. Planting tender crops after April 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 18 20%, and after April 24 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 47% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 28 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 8 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 5; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 14, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 203 days in a typical year, longer than at 70% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 223 days one year in ten and falls short of 183 one year in ten. On average 93 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 12 days longer, to about April 19, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 12 and February 23.

July is the warmest month at Providence, KY, averaging 90°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 25°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 69% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,467 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 85% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 38% of them (1,691) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 908. Precipitation totals 48.5 inches a year, most in April (5.1") and least in August (2.6"); May to September bring 42% of it.

The nearest other station, Madisonville, KY, 20 miles southeast of Clay, has a last frost 5 days earlier (April 2), a first frost 4 days later (November 1), a season 9 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Clay usually arrives around January 10, and the last of the season around February 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Providence, KY, 7.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 69% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 54 days after the last snow.

ZIP 42404 is 7 miles from Providence, KY, which stands at 409 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 42064 (Marion). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 42404 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.